I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at InfoScout (New York, NY)
Interview
I applied for a Consultant role online. I first had a phone interview with HR. Then I had 2 tests to take at home. I then I had to redo the test with HR monitoring me to ensure I was the one taking the test. I passed and had a 1:1 phone interview with the hiring manager. I was then asked to do a case study and present it the the NY team. I was supposed to hear back by the end of the week (Friday). I never did. I emailed and called HR and no one has gotten back to me. I guess that means I don't have the job. I wish they could have been cordial enough to say thanks for your time but we decided to go with a different candidate.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Hiring manager asked some details about a project I had conducted in my current job.
I applied online. I interviewed at InfoScout (New York, NY)
Interview
The interview process is a bit over the top. First, you have to take a logic quiz online. If you do well, they require you to retake the test over video chat to confirm that you are the person taking the test.
Then, they ask you to analyze a dataset and create a presentation. Keep in mind, this is all before you've even spoken to the hiring manager. Your first introduction to people you'd work with would be when you present the research.
For me, they provided a dataset of beer purchases. It was a very raw set that needed a lot of cleaning work before you could start the analysis. I asked the recruiter if data cleaning was part of the exercise, or if they just wanted candidates to assume the data was valid. They expected the data to be cleaned. With the amount of errors (one SKU linked to different products, identical products having no SKU on some cases, non-beer items in the set, etc.), it would take 5-10 hours of cleaning to be confident in the quality of the data. Because of the inconsistencies in the errors, you'd need to do a lot of manual work that would typically be done by an intern or very junior staff member in an office setting.
This type of assignment is just incredibly out of place for the role. Being married to a professional recruiter, I know this type of assignment is frowned upon for anything other than an entry-level or very junior role.
Within the market research/consulting industry, if you are experienced and qualified, you have no shortage of options. I'd imagine Infoscout loses many of their best candidates by being so out of touch with the reality of hiring.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I declined an in-person interview after getting an offer elsewhere.
The process took 3 months. I interviewed at InfoScout (Chicago, IL) in Jan 2018
Interview
The process was lengthily but fair (cognitive tests x 2, handful of interviews, assignment, presentation). However, the respect for the applicant is appalling - I should’ve been wanted by the name this company has in the industry. At one point I had completed a lengthily assignment and presented it and received no feedback from that point on - even with follow-up emails (months have since passed). My impression is they want to line up potential applicants if their sales grow, but when their sales are not inline with expectations they just let their applicants fall to the wayside without any notice.
